BAD NEWS WHY ARE WE AFRAID TO DELIVER BAD NEWS? 5 GOALS OF DELIVERING BAD NEWS 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Full explanation, clear and complete Professional image Convey empathy and sensitivity Fair outcomes Maintaining profs’l relations DELIVERING BAD NEWS 1. Prepare for the conversation 2. Be Direct 3. Discuss how decision was made (procedural fairness) 4. Allow for venting, not debate 5. Communicate options DELIVERING BAD NEWS Three of your female employees have come to you at different times in the past week to complain about sexually inappropriate behavior from your vice-president of operations, who is 64 years old and is going to retire next year. It’s not the first time you’ve heard of it, but now, they are threatening to publicize it on social media which will dramatically affect your business, which is to contract for services with local school districts. What will you do; and how will you communicate it with Both the three women, and with the VP of Operations.? WHY ARE WE AFRAID TO DELIVER BAD NEWS? • It can make you look bad. • You don't want to be unpopular or thought of as a dictator. • You think the confrontation will be worse than it really is. WHY ARE WE AFRAID TO DELIVER BAD NEWS? • The process itself is frightening. • You don't know how to handle conflict effectively. DELIVER BAD NEWS WITH INTEGRITY No sandwiches Avoid putting the bad news between good news. DELIVER BAD NEWS WITH INTEGRITY No dirty dancing Don’t charm them with small talk. DELIVER BAD NEWS WITH INTEGRITY Do not demean Use tact. Be declarative, not derogatory. DELIVER BAD NEWS WITH INTEGRITY Separate the person from the problem. Focus on actions, not personalities. (what if you say, you aren’t showing enough energy?) Would you rather get a bullet in the head or five to the chest and bleed to death?” Billy Beane in the movie Moneyball, taught his intern Peter Brand how to cut players from their team. Readings 1. https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesleadershipforum/2012/05/30/10commandments-for-delivering-bad-news/#7dc10a902169 The Ten Commandments of Delivering Bad News 2. https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/224884# Delivering bad news to clients 3. https://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voicescareers/articles/2016-04-20/6-tips-to-successfully-deliver-bad-newsin-the-workplace Six tips to delivering bad news
